A business plan will help you answer every question you have about your small business, so it is an excellent document to pursue even if you don’t need to attract investors or get a bank/SBA loan. You’ll be forced to analyze your marketplace, access the competition, profile your strengths and create a forecast for your new business. The plan can be anywhere from two to twenty pages depending on how complex your vision. There are plenty of templates online at at www.sba.gov/ to help you get started.